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HAT GUARD.

No. 552,243. Patented Dec. 31, 1895.

& F. u w n W UNITED STATES PATENT QEETCE.

MICHAEL B. FEENEY AND ALPHONSE L. FOY, OF NEW YORK, Y.

HAT-G UARD.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 552,243, dated December31, 1895.

Application filed July'9, 1895. Serial No. 5,388. (No model.)

To ctZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, MICHAEL E. FEENEY and ALPHONsE L. FOY, citizens ofthe United States, and residents of New York, in the county of New Yorkand State of New York, have invented a certain new and useful Hat-Guard, of which the following is a specification.

The invention relates to an improved hatguard; and it consists,generally stated, in a compact, inexpensive, and efiective deviceadapted to be attached to any suitable part of a hat or head-covering,and so constructed that the cord of the guard will be, by the operationof a suitable spring, coiled up within a casing when not in use. Thedevice is also provided with means whereby the spring-tension upon thecord is controlled when in use. The parts comprise an inner and an outershell, which are adapted to be inexpensively struck up from thin sheetmetal, a cord-wheel peculiarly constructed from a single disk of metal,as hereinafter explained, a spring and a central axis, which serve alsoas the means for attaching the device to the hat. The inner and outercasings have openings in them, which register with one another, and theouter casing is provided with a finger having slight lateral projectiontherefrom, which serves as the means for holding the cord against thestress of the spring.

In the drawings hereof, Figure 1 illustrates a perspective of a hathaving the hat-guard attached to its brim. Fig. 2 illustrates aperspective of the outer shell of the casing. Fig. 3 illustrates aperspective of the inner shell of the casing with the cord-wheel inposition therein. Fig. at illustrates a central section of thecord-wheel. Fig. 5 illustrates a plan view of the cord-wheel prior tobending the longer flanged sections. Fig. 6 illustrates a verticalsection of the guard when all parts are in position.

A illustrates a hat. Any other head-covering may be substituted for it.B is the hatguard fastened to the rim thereof.

0 is the outer shell of the casing. It is struck up from thin metal intothe form of a shallow cup, as shown.

D is an opening made in the side of the shell, which is preferablypunched out while the metal is yet flat.

E is a finger left integral with the disk of metal, which is, whencompleted, given a slight lateral extension, so that the cord of theguard may be drawn between it and the metal adjacent to it.

F is the inner shell of the casing. It is likewise stamped out from flatmetal, all in one piece, and an opening Gis cut in its side, whichregisters with the opening D in the easing 0.

H is the cord-wheel. it is a flat disk of metal, as seen in Fig. 5, andwhen it is stamped out the dies are so made as to out long sections Iand shorter sections J. The short sections J remain preferably in thesame plane as the body portion of the wheel. The long sections I, on thecontrary, are bent in a suitable die or by other means so as to haverectangular projections and also a radial projection, as shown in Fig.4:, thus forming, as it were, a broken trough or channel around thewheel, constituting a groove within which the cord of the guard rests.

K K K are holes punched centrally through the cord-wheel and the outerand inner casings, respectively, through which the axis L (see Figs. 1and 6) passe This axis is in the form of a little stud headed at oneend-and screw-threaded at the other and provided with a suitable nut,cross-pin, or other similar device M, (see Fig. 6,) whereby the guard isfastened to any desired part of the hat,

there being a small hole made in it throughwhich the axis L passes, thematerial of the hat being clamped between the nut or like device M andthe bottom of the inner casing F, whereby the device is held firmly inplace.

N (see Figs. 3 and 6) is a spring the inner end of which is fastened toa hub 0, (see Fig. 6,) which is struck up from the inner casing duringits manufacture, and the outer end of the spring engages, as at P, (seeFig. 6,) with one of the laterally-offset flanged sections I. Anysuit-able means of making these connections between the spring and theinner casing and the cord-wheel may be employed. Several ways of sodoing will suggest them selves to those skilled in the art.

Q is the cord of the hat-guard, preferably having a button, bar, orsimilar device It on the end to prevent the spring from drawing the cordentirely within the casing. If a but- In the first instance ton be usedit will approximately close the opening D in the outer casing, thusexcluding dust and other obstructive matter from the interior of thedevice, and is in this respect beneficial. Sometimes it is preferred touse a little disk of leather or a tassel, bunch of silk, chamois, kid,or the like, the better to close this opening. Any suitable materialmay, however, be used.

From the above description it will be seen that all the parts of thedevice are exceedingly simple in construction and inexpensive to makeand that they are each made of a single piece and most of them adaptedto being struck up from sheet metal in a speedy, effective and exactmanner, as is well known in the stamping art.

The operation is as follows: Allthe parts of the device being assembled,as shown in Fig. 6, an opening is made through the desired part of thehat, cap or other head-covering, and the guard is then fastened at suchplace either on the outside of the hat on-its brim or on the inside ofthe crown of the hat, if preferred, where it will be out of sight, andif desired another hole, which may be eyeletted or otherwise reinforcedat its edges, may be made in the hat, through which the cord of theguard maypass. This construction will sometimes be desirable, especiallyif end of the cord will be held against the opening in the side of thecasing or against the eyeletted hole in the hat, as the ease maybe,leaving it in a condition substantially the same as though no guard werepresent. \Vhen it is desired to use the guard the cord is pulled out thedesired distance and is then passed around the finger E on the outerease. The

elasticity of this finger will bind thecord, so

as to hold it against the stress of the spring at whatever place it maybe fastened. The end of the cord is then attached to any suitable partof the wearers garments in the usual manner.

The invention is not limited to the details of construction shown anddescribed, excepting as hereinafter specifically claimed, because itwill be evident to those who are familiar with this art thatmodifications may be made therein and still the essentials thereof beemployed.

The invention having been described, what is claimed is- 1. In a hatguard, the combination of an inner and outercase,-a cord wheelmade froma single piece of metal, andhaving'a groove on its periphery, composedof radial sections ofthe wheel fashionedinto the desired shape, a springand means to attach the device toa hat or similar head covering, for thepurposes set forth.

2. A cord wheel for hat guards and similar devices, comprising a disk ofmetal cut on its edges into-radial sections ofdifferentlengths, the longones being bent to form the bottom and one side of a groove orchannel-for the cord, for the purposes set forth.

A cord wheel for a hat guard having upon its edge a groove for thereception of the cord, one side of said groove being composed ofradiating pieces in substantially the plane of the body of the wheel,and the bottom and other side whereof are composed of other sectionsbent to form the said bottom and side, for the purposes set forth.

Signed at New York, in the county of New York and State of New York,this 2d day of July, A. D. 1895.

MICHAEL E. .FEENE Y. ALPHONSE L. FOY. \Vitnesses JAMES C. BRADY, Enw. F.KIRBY.

